


Carnival of Dreams

by Bluestar_ (ari_hearts)



Series: Dreams End Series [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Bonding, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26883508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ari_hearts/pseuds/Bluestar_
Summary: "Ugh," Tim groaned while trying to lift his body off the ground. He heard a crunch as he moved and felt leaves underneath him, "What the hell?!" More aware now, he shot up to his feet taking in the surroundings.The forest surrounding him was full of deep red, orange, and yellow trees. The sky was no longer an inky abyss but instead littered with little pockets of heaven that fail to ever shine down on the city of Gotham."Do you have any idea of where we are?""Not a clue."
Relationships: (Minor) Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Series: Dreams End Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034334
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. One Mysterious Night

**Author's Note:**

> This idea sorta was born out of an assignment from my creative writing class. I was to come up with my own theme park andddd me being me I turned in an 8-page outline of a semi-horror/ semi-paranormal theme park and the surrounding story around it. And then I was like well now I have to write this all out. SO I spent like 2 hours writing this and that kinda makes me sad because the chapter is so small. But hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to write a nice long chapter.

**Time:** 23:00

 **Date:** July 23, 20XX

 **Location:** Robinson Park

"Oracle, can you see anything in the forest?"

"Give me a moment most of the closer range cameras were destroyed by the vines." The distinct sound of fingers racing along a keyboard can be heard. After a moment the sound stopped.

"Alright, a news crew was able to get a shot of Ivy before the helicopter got shot down, with what looked like some sort of plant bomb." The video was soon playing on the holo-screen of the gauntlet. The light of the screen gave way to the contemplative look on his pale, half-covered in ash, face. After a beat, his eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his black domino mask. It took a bit but off towards the very end of the frame was a slender figure climbing into a sewer entrance. The figure seemed to be enshrouded in a black, tattered, cloak. 

"I need someone out here to deal with Ivy, it looks she has a partner who went through the sewers to somewhere else."

More keyboard clicking could be heard.

"Batman and Robin are 10 minutes out from your location, I'll send them over right now." And with that, a little trip through Gotham's sewers began. 

Wading through the suspiciously dark green-blue waters, each turn felt like an eternity. He pulled up the camera network that was recently added to the sewers. They're a bit sparse but they help in guiding him to the mysterious figure. Just when he was getting there-

"Ahh!" He flinched back now noticing Black Bat right in front of him. 

"Hello, Red Robin." Her voice was small and raspy, but a comforting sound nonetheless. He took a moment to look back at the cameras. He gets a direct shot showing the figure climbing out of the sewers. He knows just where they're heading. He continues to trudge forward.

"Hey, what are you doing back from Hong Kong?" She follows him along in his journey.

"I'm following a woman who seems to be responsible for the disappearance of multiple people. She was supposed to be heading here today. It was a... last minute trip."

Red Robin pulled up the video footage that he has of his mysterious figure. Black Bat looks over his shoulder and nods.

Together they make their way to the docks. It was a rather silent venture. They comb through the warehouses looking for any overtly suspicious activity. Sure enough, they were not disappointed, a loud crash and scream could be heard in an alleyway behind the warehouses. In the middle of it, all stood a woman, her dark hair swaying in the breeze and her eyes were inhumanly cold. They started down at another woman, she was dressed in threadbare clothes and had a small bag with her. There were trashcans knocked over in a vain attempt to fend off her attacker.

Then all at once, the dark-haired woman pulled out a strange-looking gun, her finger was on the trigger. Black Bat and Red Robin rushed into action to save the civilian but instead of pulling the trigger on her, the gun shifted and shot at the both of them. The world seemed to fly by in slow motion as a portal appeared sucking in the two heroes. 

**~~~~**

**Time:** 00:00

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** _Unknown_

"Ugh," Tim groaned while trying to lift his body off the ground. He heard a crunch as he moved and felt leaves underneath him, "What the hell?!" More aware now, he shot up to his feet taking in the surroundings.

The forest surrounding him was full of deep red, orange, and yellow trees. The sky was no longer an inky abyss but instead littered with little pockets of heaven that fail to ever shine down on the city of Gotham. On the ground just a few feet out was Cass, but she no longer had on her Black Bat uniform, instead, she was wearing regular fall clothes, that actually look like something she would normally wear. This prompted Tim to look at what he was wearing, and sure enough, he was in fall clothes, but he also had his old camera around his neck. It was maybe 4 years old, and sure as hell took a beating here and there, but it still held up. And somehow here it was around his neck, dents, scratches and all. 

Cass soon stirred and Tim helped her to her feet. She too was immediately entranced by the heavenly sea, cities aren't exactly known for there natural beauty.

"Do you have any idea of where we are?"

"Not a clue."

They gave the sky one last look, (and a picture too) and started looking for a way out. The clearing held little promise, but soon a slight glint in the distance caught Tim's eye. Together they made their way cautiously towards the glint, which soon became a small light, and finally became a brightly lit entrance to a theme park of all places. There was a line of people all waiting to enter the park, Cass looked to the side and noticed the person at the ticket booth wasn't exactly a person. It was some unearthly sized frog. From where they were it looked as though the frog could easily come up to her waist. 

"Tim, look." 

Tim turned and his expression was one of pure confusion and slight terror, but sure enough, he brought the camera up to his face and snapped a picture. 

"You think maybe we got shot with poison?"

"I don't think we would share the same hallucination."

"It looks--"

"NEXT!!!" The Frog croaks out.

Tim and Cass only now notice they are at the front of the line. Tim looks at the Frog apprehensively before speaking, Cass looks at it like one would look at a cute puppy. 

"Could you tell us where exactly we are?" The frog gives him a death glare.

"Do you want to get in or not?"

"I just want to know where we are."

"You came here so you clearly know where you are. Hurry up."

"What makes--"

"We'll take two tickets, please." Cass cuts off Tim while giving him a look. She could tell that the frog was a lost cause, and it's best not to antagonize the one thing that can let them into the place so they can get some answers. The people behind them murmur as they enter the park. Tim gives the frog the stink eye and the finger. Cass just smacks his arm and he sheepishly turns back. 

"How are we supposed to find out anything if we can't even talk to the staff," Tim grumbles.

"I believe I can help with that." 

The heroes turn to see a girl who looks a little bit younger than them, maybe around 14 or 15. She has a satchel and a camera similar to Tim's. Cass looks at her, the body rarely lies and this girl seems genuinely willing to help. Tim and Cass share a look, agreeing to listen, but take everything with a grain of salt. 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Rachel, and this is the infamous Seaside theme park. It's supposed to be abandoned, but as you can see it is not." Rachel gestures to the crisply painted buildings and old school lamps that give the park it's vibrant retro feel. Tim decides to pick up the conversation, hopefully, able to get an idea of her motives.

"Well if it's supposed to be abandoned why are you here?"

"Because it's the center of so many conspiracy theories! I'm here to prove once and for all if they're true or not!" She holds up her camera grinning proudly. 

She seems genuine, but Tim has had a lifetime to cultivate the big oak tree that is his paranoia. He can trust Cass's judgment, and what he's seen, but there will still be that nag at the back of his mind. Cass notices a small paper Rachel is clutching in her right hand. 

"What is that?" Cass points at the note.

"Oh, umm," She opens it up and gives it to them, "It's a list of some things the cat gave to me. He said if I completed the tasks, I would get to meet the park owner and understand what is going on here." 

All that it says is a location and some seemingly mundane tasks. There has to be more. Rachel has made this seem like a long-standing mystery from where ever it is she comes from, it shouldn't be that easy to solve. Rachel shifts awkwardly as Cass and Tim examine everything. Eventually, Tim gives a slight nod to Cass.

"So, we didn't exactly mean to come here. We probably need to talk to the park owner too about getting out of here. So how about we help you and we all get what we want. Deal?" Tim turns on the business charm that comes with running Wayne Enterprises for nearly a year now. He puts his hand out and Rachel shakes it.

"Deal!"


	2. Nightmares ft. Trust Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helter-skelter:
> 
> A helter-skelter is an amusement ride with a slide built in a spiral around a high tower. Users climb up inside the tower and slide down the outside, usually on a mat or hessian sack.
> 
> (Pls read the beginning notes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooo- I took some creative liberties...  
> (aka I miss understood the explanation and sorta turned the ride into a kinda death trap. NORMALLY the ride is fairly straightforward. This version is like a big puzzle to get to the top, rather than a simple staircase.) 
> 
> Also, I gave up on trying to edit soooo.... 
> 
> sorry.

**Time:** 01:30

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Seaside Amusement Park

"How much you bet we're going to die in here?" 

"You're- a rather pessimistic 13 year old."

"I'm 14!"

"Stop." Cass smacks Tim's arm and cracked a slight grin while looking at him. 

"At least one person here is nice!"

For the past hour Cass, Tim, and Rachel have all been stuck in these brightly colored plastic tubes. From eye-bleeding piss-yellow to suspiciously vibrant blue, the tunnels were a nightmare. This reminded Tim of the playscape he saw when he went out to Batburger once with Dick. Back then it looked like hell and it sure does feel like it now. The tunnels were big enough for Tim and Cass to squeeze next to each other while Rachel leads the way. 

"I still can't believe we lost the door. At this rate, I'm writing my will." 

"Look at this!" Tim calls back looking at a symbol right by the turn that Rachel missed. 

Rachel backs up to join the two of them in looking at the strange symbol. It was a rather jagged looking piece of art if it can't even be counted as that. Rachel placed her hand on the poorly etched into the puke-colored green plastic. Suddenly the symbol lit up a bright electric blue and suddenly became a clear shape. The shape of a sheep. Then the symbol gave way to a secret compartment, in it was 

**a map.**

**~~~**

**Time:** 23:45

 **Date:** July 23, 20XX

 **Location:** Clocktower

"I lost signal on Red Robin and Black Bat."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure all camera within a half a mile of where they were, went down right as they went to confront a woman who Black Bat has been trailing for a while now." 

The sounds of the fight between Batman, Robin, and Poison Ivy filled the comms. 

"Can you send anyone else to see what happened?"

"I can't, currently Red Hood is with the outlaws, Batgirl is out on an undercover mission and BlueBird is with her."

"Alright, Robin go check out their last location. Don't engage, understood?"

"Tt- Fine." The little dot on the map showing Robin's location starts moving southwest of Robinson Park, hopefully, Damian will listen... Hopefully... 

**~~~**

**Time:** 01:45

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Seaside Amusement Park

"These maps are more complex than one of Riddler's puzzles." Tim looks at the two maps like Jason looks at Babs when she's coding, aka a mixture of confusion, slight terror, and awe. Both maps were behind a seemingly random symbol: a sheep and a sea wave. Each map showed a different set of tunnels with different landmarks. A part of Tim just wanted to split up and investigate both maps at the same time but:

1) They didn't have any way of communicating. 

2) After the whole disappearing door trick he wasn't taking any chances. 

Something about this park was wrong, unnatural you could say.

"Hmm, who's that?" Rachel looks at him confused. Tim paused to a halt. Cass raised an eyebrow at the sentence too, but again all she could find was sincerity. 

"He's a villain?? He terrorizes Gotham every so often?"

"You mean he's a criminal? Also, I don't know where Gotham is, so I wouldn't know." 

Tim left it at that. Yet another mystery to solve. Sighing he took another look at the maps. Each one seemed to lead in a different direction, the landmarks stared back at him mockingly. A bat, a bird, and a fish, Tim can't help but feel the first two were a sign that whoever the hell was running this place knew that they were coming. The other map contained just plain X's in 3 different locations, thus not really giving clues as to what they were looking for. 

Eventually, Cass and Rachel couldn't take it anymore. Cass snatched the maps and continued crawling through the plastic depths of hell, Rachel followed after her as a duckling or a sheep would. Tim sighed and followed them. 

Soon they arrived at the first symbol's location, the fish. The tube was a bright cyan color. There were two offshoots. One went up and one went down, clearly, this map was all about choices. There was never just one answer, it felt like everything was a test. Cass looked at both entrances and pondered for a moment of what to do next. She then turned her head to Tim.

"I don't know. We don't have any other clues to go off of." He gave a slight shrug. 

"I think we should go right." Rachel blurted out. Both the heroes stared at her for an explanation. 

"I mean we're going up, right?" 

Tim thought again, it shouldn't be that easy right? His head was going in circles. Eventually, he got so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice that Cass had left silently. Rachel looked guiltily back at him. 

"She went left." Tim sighed. 

"I think I'll just go right? I mean we could just look through both ways and after 5 minutes we just turn around. The cameras have clocks in them." Rachel then started crawling towards the right passage. Tim looked back and forth between the two entrances, this is exactly what he didn't want to happen. Cass wouldn't know to turn back, but Rachel could easily be offed by herself and Tim still wasn't entirely sure if she was just an overly friendly kid or a person who would play a hand in there demise. 

"I'll just go with you." Rachel looked a bit grateful but guilty, Tim didn't know what to make of it. But what he did know was that he could trust Cass. Even though everything in him screamed to keep an eye on everyone, he knew that this wasn't going to happen. 

**~~~**

**Time:** 01:37

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Wayne Manor

"How far are you into accessing all of Cass's files?"

"Almost done, most of this is new stuff Tim's been working on so I don't have any emergency overrides."

"Well--"

"Dick, shut up! I've been working as fast as I can, I get that you're worried but these things take time."

"Babs," Dick sighed and sunk into the chair, " The three of them are missing. We already lost--" His head turns to the family photo sitting on the batcomputer, a holdover from the previous owner.

It's been a while, but it was an obvious reminder of everyone's morality. Babs followed Dick's gaze towards the photo, her expression softens and she places a hand on Dick's shoulder. 

"They'll be fine. I'm sure they're doing everything than can to come back and we're doing everything we can to find them."

**~~~**

**Time:** 02:00

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX 

**Location:** Seaside Amusement Park

"So- what do you think will happen when we meet the owner? Think they'll be like some sort of lizard person? Or maybe some sort of magical creature?" Rachel kept prattling off possible theories. Tim honestly couldn't say anything, he has nothing, not a sliver of information that could possibly help.

"We should just focus on actually getting out of here." 

"Yea..."

Tim keeps on following the map to the best of his abilities. Which honestly, didn't seem to be going too well. Every time things seemed clear, the tunnels threw him a loop. The X's on the map lead to simple, unremarkable areas. He hoped that Cass was doing a better job. 

Cass seemed to be doing just as well. The map didn't make sense after a while, even though she kept hammering away at the long distances between points, even if she did get a bit confused at times. A constant, soft, thump could be heard every so often and it wasn't coming from her. Sometimes it'd get louder and Cass would hunt down the sound, getting distracted from the main goal. She couldn't help but feel like it was important. Each time she seemed to get close it would stop, and then she'd continue to the symbols again. This constant back and forth was annoying. 

Cass did her best to ignore the thumps. It felt like she should be following it but she did her best to stick to the plan despite the sound. Eventually, she heard muffled noises, almost reminiscent of the city. Every window she past showed a city she's been too. The distractions called out to her, trying to send her off the track. It didn't make sense. Hong Kong shouldn't be out the window, neither should Gotham be out the next window. She kept looking at the map, trying to get to the bat symbol. Each move forward, a symphony was left in her wake. Her senses became more and more overwhelmed. The constant cacophony of each place she holds dear fills her ears, the constant shift in what she sees outside, the wafting smell of the sewer--

She was back in Gotham, in the sewers. Just like before. Standing up Cass can't help but feel like something is wrong. She had her Black Back suit on. Did she go back in time? Was she really home? Cass stared at the map and her hand. Despite everything in her screaming to look for the nearest way out, she followed the map. With each step, everything in her screamed, doubting her decision.

"CASS!!" The voice of Oracle screamed in her ear.

"Cass, help!" Red Robin groaned from the other end of the sewer tunnel Cass just came out of.

Blood dripped and mixed in the disgusting murky water beneath her. Creating a marble of red and vaguely blue-green colors. 

"Help me, Cass! Don't let me end up like him!" Batman groaned from some other sewer tunnel offshoot. 

Her mind doubted every second she started walking in the wrong direction. Should she turn around? Was she reading the situation wrong? Was there a sign she missed? Was--

The bat symbol was right in front of her.

Her hand brushed against the symbol. It glowed like the previous ones. The vision of Gotham fell away, instead, she was in a box with one plastic tunnel leading up. Cass pushed the symbol into the wall. Suddenly, another tunnel appeared. And a distant-

"AHHHH!!" The person crashed into Cass. It sent her backward and into the tunnel, thankfully the tunnel was going down too. 

"Cain?!"

"Damian!" Cass hugged him. He squirmed a bit before Cass released him. 

Damian looked relieved at seeing Cass was okay. He then got back to the main goal. 

"Where's Drake?"

"Somewhere." Cass had a surprisingly high amount of trust in Tim, much to Damian's disbelief.

Cass tried to remain calm despite just hearing the voice of her brother, bleeding out on the ground, calling for her. It was not real, she knows that.

Just as Damian was about to continue on he realized both of them were in civilian clothes. He was pissed, he rather have his assortment of weapons on him. However, it seemed as though this happened to everyone who entered this forsaken place. 

"We should go look for him. Richard would be displeased if we did not return with Drake." Cass responded with a raised eyebrow. Damian seemed confused until he reflected on his choice of words, his ears went red.

"Not a word." He knew threatening Cass was pointless. 

**~~~**

**Time:** 03:00

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Seaside Amusement Park

"Tt- Drake."

"Brat."

The air turned sour the minute Damian laid eyes on Tim. They've been staring at each other for 2 minutes. Cass let it play out for a little bit; Rachel looked at them with a concerned look. 

"Should we get going? We've been stuck in here for a while." Rachel smiled nervously. She was trying to keep things light despite the growing feeling that a fight was going to break out. 

Both Tim and Damian gave her a death glare.

"I guess-"

"We're leaving." Cass pushed Damian along and continued. Rachel followed them and Tim trailed behind. 

"I'm not done with you, Drake!" 

"We will be settling this later gremlin!" 

The group continued the short journey to the next Symbol: the fish. It would be just right down the hall- the scenery changed into a lake.

"How did--"

"It's not real." 

"And how would you know that Cain?"

"I had a similar situation before you fell. This is a bit different, but it is not real." 

The lake was enshrined in the golden light of dawn, the grass swayed gently with the breeze. to the left was the edge of a dock, the rest hidden by a dense treeline. Tim took out his camera and snapped a photo of the lake. It was probably going to be a while before he got to see something like this again. Rachel didn't bother with taking a photo, Tim can't help but wonder if this means she already has lots of lake photos. 

"How do we get out of here?" Rachel turned her head to Cass, "How did you get out the last time?" 

"Follow the map and find the symbol." 

Tim looked at the map. The lines that connect to the fish on the map didn't make sense. There were no paths just trees, and the big lake. If this was how Cass got out last time then, they will follow the map. 

"Let's go then..." Tim sighed. 

~~~

**Time:** _Unkown_

 **Date:** _Unknown_

 **Location:** _Unknown_

"Why did you bring them here?" A man wearing a dress shirt and slacks asked. His whole demeanor screamed rich bastard. 

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything." A woman with ebony hair answered him. Her hair swayed slightly despite there being no breeze in the room. Her cloak encompassed the rest of her body. 

"Why? You're messing with things you don't understand."

"Things I don't understand?" Her voice turned ice-cold, "Do tell me what I don't understand regarding how we have the ability to help people, yet you just want to use it as a way to profit off of suffering."

"But it keeps us rich, does it not? You're the one who keeps bringing me, people." His eyes have a calculated edge to them.

"Because they were going to break sooner or later. This was their last chance! I had to! You're the one who made it into a spectacle." 

"Things break all the time, and so do people. You and I both know they would break and be fine without you."

"That's not true." The woman turned around, her grey eyes were inhumanly bright. The man strides up to her, his hand caressing her cheek.

"The public thinks this is all fake. It's alright."

"You need to stop this." She grabbed his hand, her thumb brushing over his knuckles.

"And you need to learn to stop 'helping' people. No one likes someone who can't mind their own business." He kissed her forehead. He then turned around and started walking out the door.

"Don't antagonize him too much."

"I can't make too many promises. After all, the Batman is rather fun to mess with." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure why I gave Tim such a hatred of Playscapes lol. I was that one kid in the playscape who would somehow rally everyone together and start some sort of group game of chase. I was basically the ring leader for a lot of dumb stuff that occurred in those places. 7 yr old me would probably be the reason Tim despises Chuck-e-Cheese and Mcdonald's playscapes ngl.
> 
> Songs that somehow helped inspire my writing:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44FzXwZ0zE2sA25GCiN95h 
> 
> (Also me back on my camera bs- can someone please explain why people have Tim use a film camera- at night?! I don't have much experience with them but I've used some film cameras in bright light situations and they take a whole 5-10 seconds to properly get enough exposure. And assuming Tim doesn't use a flash the exposure should take even more than that in low light settings, which means he wouldn't be able to get clear shots of Batman and Robin mid-fight because they'd probably show up as almost ghost-like on the film. Which I mean probably adds to Batman's scariness lol but you sure as hell aren't getting a good pic out of that. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk on why Tim probably uses a DSLR camera.) (also I am a firm believer that Tim prefers DSLR to mirrorless. Yall can fight me on it.)


	3. A fish among Bats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just did a thing...  
> Schools been murdering me sooo, r.i.p slow updates  
> also if you're using a site skin the text might show up a bit weird- or maybe the site skin I made I messed up. (I made one because I have light sensitivity that is absolutely not me slowly evolving into a raccoon or bat.... ahahaha)  
> Also, I tried to leave more hints? I totally want this to focus on the mystery of everything and make it engaging but tbh this is my first time trying to make a story like this, I used to write more romance but then I became pretty demotivated for the genre as a whole.  
> Yeaaaa so let me know if you like it, or if it seemed too hand fisted. My goal is to write something that reveals itself slowly, not just like a plot twist for the sake of it, or it being so mind-numbingly obvious.

**Time:** 03:15

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Unknown 

"This makes no sense," Damian grumbled, "Nothing in this infernal place makes any sense!" 

His fingers roughly trailed along the etching, the swirls and waves, winding left to right, spanning across the wooden longs. He examined everything with precision like he was memorizing for a test, rather than appreciating the time and care used to make such art. Each fish that he found in the carving was another piece of an already complex puzzle; just another challenge in the life of an Al Ghul, one that he doesn't intend to fail. 

"If I ever find out who created this place--," the unfinished threat laid heavy in the air. 

"Alright gremlin, we get it. No one is happy about being here but we should focus on getting out." Tim was looking at everything, sometimes taking a picture or two for reference. So far the only thing that seemed unordinary was the intricate wall patterns.

"I should have not listened to Cain, you are merely a distraction in my attempts to figure out this puzzle."

"Whatever you say brat, we all know that I am anything but a distraction. Plus, you'd rather deal with me than Jason," Tim smirked as Damian turned back to reexamining the pattern. 

"Todd is... less tolerable than you."

"Even when he's all banged up he sure loves giving you hell. I think I might have to send him a thank you card."

"DRAKE, YOU --"

~~~

**T̶͈̪̰͕͎̙̲̺̘͖͖̳̠̅̽̌̑̈́̈́i̶̢̢̨͕̩͔̗͜͠m̵̧̬͔͕̝͒̄̂͋̍̍͆͗̏̅̃̑̈́͛̚ȩ̷̖͈͖̭̼̪̪̋͛̊̑̀̓͑͝ͅ:** 0̷̨̘͙̟̑̅̓͒̐̕͝1̵̻̹̗̪̍̓̓͘0̷̨̛̼̞͔͚̺̬͚̃͒̊͑̅̍̋̚0̵̨̺̭͖̪͔̱̣̌̓̈1̵̨͇̝͕̭̗͎̤̫͗1̵̺̽̍̾̾̒̒̽0̷͈̹̭͖̱̄͊̀͜1̵̳͚̱͙̉̿ ̴̬̳͙̥̝͉̄͊̿̍͒̅͝0̵͙͔̝̰̹̇͑͑1̶̛̮̤̲͖̦̐̏̈́̆̚͝1̸̢̜̣͋̌̈́̀́͑͗0̵̲̦̝̰̗̲̖͈̪̊̒̎͂̿̅͌͝1̵̦̫͎̗͍̻̉͑͜͜0̸̖͕͕͆̈́̄̉̋͘0̵̟͈̬̿͐͊̑̆̅̚1̷͕̬̞̓͗ ̴̛͍͎͖͉̝̈́͊̔̔̈́̒0̷̡̯̺̤͍͍̖̓̈́͑̈͂͠ͅ1̶̟͇̀́̅͂͠͝1̶͎͕̮̒͗́̽̋̀̽͛̈́0̵̲̇0̵̡̣͓͔̩̗͈̠̊̂̚1̷̢͓̮̠̬̌̾̾̏̅̽͋̔͜͠0̷̨̗̠͈̘͖͕̬̜̽͆͌͑0̴͔̰̦͈̃͌̀̋̅̎͜ ̸̡̭̞̠͕̻̤͕̃̈́̈́̽̾̾̚͝ͅ0̶͈͓̰̥͊̎́̀͆̐̆͌͠1̶̛͕͇̼̖͙͈͉̈́̈́͐̅̈1̶̛̤̪̆͘͠0̷̳̜̺́̔̍1̸̡̨̛̙̤̩̺̜́́̌̒̿̃͜1̴̪̹̞̹͔̉̾̋̾̌̚̕͠1̵̢̥̬̰̭̭͈͍͂̂͌͆̉0̸̨̩̺͂͛̽͘ͅͅ ̴̢̥̞͎͗0̷̪͈̻̈1̵̡͍͎̲̖͚͈̘̟̃̾̈́́̍̕͠1̸̧͕̩̳͚͇̬͔̫̒0̷̰̹̫̣̩̫͔̙̄̾̀1̶̻͌͑̕0̵̭̘͕̖͕͓͎̲̈͆̋̚͜͝0̵͕͈̞̬̜̩̥͊̎͂̎̍͝͝1̵̧͓͈̦̹̮͓̈̇͂̌͛͌͘ ̵̢̟̍͒̉̍0̴̦̹͚̟̹̠̊͒̔̓̈́͘͠ͅ1̶͇̼̱̣̯̈̔̈́̐̾̑1̷̳̊̓̈̀͑̍0̸̭̜̝͂̿͐͌̾͜ͅ0̴̩̖̖͈̥̇͒̕͜͝1̶̣̻͔͎̔͛̏̃̍͠1̶̨̗͖̣͐̃̑̕͠͝1̶̦̥̹̮͋̌̓̈́ ̶̨͓̙̩̲̞̱̊̆̓̚0̷̛̘͊͋͂̈́̋̈́̚͘1̴̩͙̰͓̼̹̆͒̈́͐̀̚1̵͉̉̃̈́͑͌̈́̍̄̆0̴̰̇̐̏́͝1̸̣̍̊0̵͓̙̦͓̪̮̭͇͂̍̇̿̑̄0̷̙̲͒̈́̾̑̊͜͠0̸̮̬̿̍̌̋͋͘ ̷͔͍̪̖̟̦͕̹̖̀̿͆̎̍͋͑̂̕0̸̡̪̱̪̺̰̆̊̂̀̚͜1̷̧̟̝͈͇̝́̽̈́̔̽̈́̓͜͜ͅ1̶̡̛̠̻̬̩̎̂̔̄͗͘̚1̷̠̋͗͑0̷͍͚̩̬̘̩̲̮̊͑͗1̷̛͇̳͋͆͑̽̄́̾̚ͅ0̶͙̝͈̖̅0̸̪͖͇̐̆

 **Ḑ̸̨̘̯̘̥̿͗̇ȧ̴̡̝̬̜̠̟͍̩̓̍̈́̚ẗ̸̫̻̫͉̫́̍̃͛̽̐̋͌ȩ̷̯̊̋͋̒̌̂:̸̭̬̝͔̣̓͆̊̏̋̋͌͗͘** 0̸̡̟̎̔1̷̜̣̩͑0̵̟̲̐̚͠0̸̜͖̺̌0̷̩̳͕̔̾̚1̸̘̾́0̶̠̰͇̐̐0̸͔̙͊͌̿ ̶̠̭̗̈́0̵̭1̵̘͒1̶̈̓̚͜0̶̧͊̇͆0̵̺̤̭̍̃1̷̮̜̔̌0̴̞̕1̶͕̮̲͂̈́ ̶͕̹̓̏0̶̞̟͑1̵̘̿1̶̺͇̪͗͆͂0̸̘̗̌ͅ0̵̪̱̅̔̈́0̵̜̓1̸̹̔͐͜1̷̜͖͓̇́ ̸̗̘͑0̶̜̪̩̂̈́̐1̷̨̯̲̍̚1̶̦̉̽0̷̨͎͋̑͝0̴̺͆̃1̵̣̘̮͊̓͠0̶̢͓͒ͅ1̵̡͇̺͆̋͗ ̴͙͚̔̈́͘0̸̝̾1̶̬̠͌͋1̷̛̥͛0̶̧̪̿1̴̦̦̅̓͠1̵̹͌̕0̸͈̙͐1̷̼̑ ̶̙͠0̸̲͖͒1̶̧̗̗̔̾1̸̰͝0̴̡̔͘͝0̴̺̇̏͠0̴́͗̌͜1̴̰̬̌̒0̵̬̺̥̒̾̽ ̴̠̥̑̕0̴̻͓͇͑̾1̵̰͐̽̚1̵͓̹̠̏͌͌0̴̰͇̺̇͠0̸̪̟̆1̵̯̔0̷̥̎͊͆͜1̴͇̈́͆ ̸͚͙̾̓0̵̧̜͇̾1̶̬̣͚́̍1̷̫͓̖̃͛1̵̲̌̇͠0̷̜̍̈́̆0̷̺̗̠1̶̢̖͑͘0̷̹͉̍̂ ̷̤̼̐̿́0̵̳̝̑͝ͅ0̸̖̗̈́͋1̴̰̙̈́͝ͅ0̶̤̝̞̋̅0̵̨̽͝0̴̳͑̇0̶̭͛0̴̮̅̕̕ ̵̺̟̉0̵̧̳̹̾͐̉1̸̮̞͝1̸̛̮͈̄̇0̶̘̊̀1̵̨̲͈̄1̶̙̻̉̈́͘1̸̰̝̅̀0̵͙̹̇̿̈́ ̶̹̪̿͂̏0̶͈͖̍̅1̶̧̯̜̓1̶̳̝̈0̴̟̒1̵̠̗̣͑͂0̷̢̊͝0̵̖̞̇̈́1̷͕̏ ̴͕̉̔̄0̷̳̣̯͊̂1̴̨̪̀̓̚1̵͕̮̠͒0̷̼͔͔̉́1̸̪̈̋1̵̢̥͙͗1̸̣̹̖͌0̶̬͔̀́ ̸̜̮͙̋0̴̡͉̃̐̂1̸͔̼͈͝1̸̛͈͕̗͆̅1̸̖͋̓̾0̸̜̄̅̕ͅ1̷̜̦̄̇0̸̱̆0̷̤̪͆ ̸͚͂0̷̲͈̒1̷̢͇̉1̶̪̺̈0̸̜͑̃1̸͔̔0̵̥͎̓͐0̶̨̘̦͌̈́0̵̩̹̕ ̶̺0̷̛̜͍0̶̹̍͆̚1̸̛̺̤̥0̴̪̒͊̈́0̵͎̝̠͒́͝0̷̢͇͝0̶̛̳̤̦̊̚0̶͖͚̱́ ̷̮̪̏̓͜0̵̺̖̙̆1̴̺̣̯̄̾̀1̴̭̟̏1̶̜̈́ͅ0̵̯͉͆1̶̧̥̄͛͠0̶͎̩̑0̴͉̈́͊̄ ̶̻͉͛0̵̝̒͗1̵̹̠͇̈͝1̴̨̮̭̍̉1̶̢̟͐̕0̴̽͜1̷̡̤̖͋͛̈́1̷̬̜̣͋͗̋1̷̧͇̬̎͒͝ ̷͚̗̞̔0̸̫̠̈́͌1̸̤̦͍̓1̵̨̛̦̉0̴̺̻͒̋0̵̺͒1̴̧̗͑͛ͅ0̵̛̺̏1̷̤́ ̸̟͌̅͌0̷̧̰̏͝1̴͎̈́1̵̡̦̂̀0̴̻̟̀̈1̷͙̇̔1̸̛̪̆1̴̨͎̓0̴̨̳̠̅ ̴͇̣͋͊0̵̲̫̓1̴̛̱͚̺̀1̴̮̍1̷̞̟̩́͂0̷̹̔1̴̼͆͐̍0̸͎͖̳̈́̄0̶̖̘̩̐͗ ̸̠̒̉0̸̳̮͚͋͒̉1̷̼͑͌1̶͉̳̐1̸̫̂̒̉1̶̮̬̈̃̕0̷̳̫̎̿̽0̴̳̂̂̚1̷̨̫̽͘ ̸̛̯̲͇̐͘0̶̬̬̰̓͝0̵̼̹͛͆́1̵͉͉̻͛0̵̲͇̓0̴̜̻̘̊0̷̪̥̞̄0̵͚̅0̵̤̎̍ ̸̧̛͚̌0̸̘̻̠̍͝1̵͙͎̪̑1̸͍̏͛̉0̷̢̫͐͝0̸̞͐̐͠1̶̨̽͜1̷̼̐͌̉0̵͖̣̎͛ ̶̙͕̄0̵̘̥̿1̷̗̍1̶̮̗̈́͌0̸͍̜̪̚1̴̖͈̮̐͑1̶͑ͅ1̵̧̪̏͒͜1̴̡̧̳̉̐͐ ̴̦͑0̵̢̝̫͑͆1̷̬͛͒1̶̧͐1̸̺̪̈0̷͚̳͍̆0̸͇̈́1̵̧̿͆0̸̭̓ ̴̭͋0̸̦̅̂͘1̵̧͊1̶̫̖́1̶̠̺͌0̶̫͆̇͘1̶̲̮̱̿͑0̸̥̞̈́͝0̸͎̣̟͒̅͘ ̵̰̥̱̂̇0̸̡̺͎̽̀͝1̴̡͎̝̾1̷̖̓́1̸̠̤̥͂̏1̸̪̣͂̄̐0̴̙̩̉̍0̵̯̬̬̎1̶̺̥̌̓ ̸̡͛0̶̤̯̈́0̸̫͈͚̂̆1̸̖̃̕͝0̸̞̺͈̇̾͂1̸̲͖̗͋͗1̶̦̺̐̽̋0̷̡͕̈́1̶̡͓̹̃̄ ̵̧̛̺̫̓̈́0̴̠̝̒1̴̧̮̂1̷̛̗̒0̴͚͙̇1̵̰̹̀1̵̩̬͊͂1̷̗̟͋̆ͅ0̸̝̾͊̌ ̵̦̾0̸̢͍̈́͘1̷̡̢̩͂̈́͐1̸̹̂̕0̷͙͂̀̓1̵͈͙̂0̶̮̲̃͝0̴͉̓͋1̸̛͖͐ ̸̞̩̈0̵͈͌1̵͙̦̅̌̄͜1̷̘̼̊̊͠0̵̻͌̇͒1̷͓̂͜1̷̻͋1̷͔̳̏̂̕0̶̛͎̒͘ ̶̛̻̯̜̽̈́0̸̲̆̆1̵̮̮̅͂̃1̸̘͈̈́̓͘0̵̮̤̖̑̄͝0̵̟̞͘1̵̹͊̄͜0̸͕̍1̷̛̯̅̄

 **L̷͇̇͒̇̉͠o̷͇̩̹̳̲͇̬̩̯͋͐̏͋̎̐̔c̵̨̨̛̼̙͖̤̹̺̮̤̣̙͉̄̒̅a̷̯̦̩̟̤̯͈̍̇̊̚t̵̝͍͈̫̼̍͒̓̇̑̐̚͝í̸͔̥̰̺̩̝͈̇̏͛̊̌̊͝o̸͉̭̱͓͉͇͉͓̗̥̓̂̑̑͜n̷̡̠̭̼͓̯̉͛̓̍͋͆͑̈́̑͘͠ͅ:̷̛̹͒̑͗̎̃̕͠** 0̴͎͇̻͂̃̋1̵̳̝̩͑̌͗͠0̵̙͝0̵̧̛͗͐1̸̢̡̬̩̰̠͛͐̍̇1̵͚̺͈̙̀̊͑͌1̷̞̩̯̔0̶̢̨̹̟̞͇̑ ̵͈̝̬̮̣̾̅̀̓̋͋͜0̷̈́͜1̴̖͍͖̻̱̼͌̊̓͗͘1̷̥̖̻̹̠̇͐̓͑̈́͝0̷̨̥̖̖͍̅̆͑͛͒0̶͉̺̼̜̭͂͊̄̾̈́͝1̶̦̙̄̇͜0̴̼̻͗̈́̉̾1̸͈͖͛̑̅͜ͅ ̷̻͍̻͖̣̋̃͠0̷͖̤͔̌̂̒̐̍1̶̡̮̼̳̟̅͗͗͐͠1̷̭̮̮͓̪͍̏͗0̴͎͎̞̦͇̌̄̓̿͘͝1̸̰̃͂̽͒̅͝1̷̨͛́͑͌̽̔1̴͕̠̫̍1̷̛̙̹̣͊̈̅̍͛ ̶̛͓͓̖̌̇̈̏0̵̡̳̜̞̮̓̄̉͝0̴̨̠̏̈́̇̆̉͋͜1̶̧͕̩̰͜͠0̴͉̳͔͙̌͊1̶̺̼̰̌1̷͈͔̗̥͇̓͗̾̌0̶̰̤̈́̃1̵̧̗͈̦̠͙̇̾ ̷͍̼͆̃͘0̵̢̖̉1̶̪͓̰̘́̈́͠0̶̨̘̏̋͠0̶̫̇͛̚0̷͓̘͝1̶̢̠͔̲͍̈1̸̢̡̛͕͖̱͕͌̃̓1̷̡̈́̃͐͂̊ ̸̡̟̳͇͓̓0̴̜̗̠͈̈́̽̚1̷̳͉̘̫̂̈́̐̓͗͝1̶̢̧̰̺͍̦̾͛̋0̴͇͓̣̗̰̄́̊1̶̢͔̇̆͊͘͝1̶̣̩͇͙͓̃͝1̸̮̻̫̘͈̘͋̑̉̄͘1̸̞̜̫͓͕̟̒̿̓͗͠ ̷͙̍̋̍̒̽͗0̸̨͕̣̝͓̜̓͛̍̾̓͛1̷͕͖͙̤̗͋̊̅͂̾͝1̷͓͂1̴̝̪͙͊͜0̴̡̥̟̲̂͆̐̈́͘͝1̶̺̟̥̗̞͑̒̒̽͘͠0̵̹̮͓̲̽͒̚͝0̵̛͕̭̻̥̅̎ͅ ̵̗̽̐̔̇͛0̶̞̖̺̲͕̐̍̓̀1̸̨̛̩̪̏̄͒̐1̸̝̯̮͙̥̾̈́0̶̨͎̅̈͆͒̿1̶̝̱̲̇̊̃͝0̶̘͕͓̤͘͝0̵̜̖͔̘̪̓0̵̲͉̬̞̪̎ ̴̦̌0̷̙̟͎̞̗͂1̵̛̯͙͖̻͔̜͊̋̆̉͠1̴̞̪͂̆̏̀0̴̧̨͎̩͋̈́0̴̬̂͗͆͂͘0̷̮̥͓̎̒͌͝0̴̥̒̎͠1̵̜̗̹̞̆͗̿ ̷̱̖̠͕̮͊́͑0̸̢͚̩̩͚͈͑̓̄1̴̨̢͈̂͝1̸̺̋0̵͇̺͓͇̪͊̊͝1̵̖̯̭͋̍̂͝1̵̞̣͙̋̽̍͜0̶̬̮̔̃͒1̷̫͔̝̯̈́͊͜

"Hmm, all these different signs keep popping up everywhere."

"Yea, they look coordinated."

"But why bats and now a fish?"

"Well, your the world's greatest detective for a reason."

"Way to go, Mr. Wayne, always leaving me with big shoes to fill."

"And you'll be leaving your predecessor with even bigger shoes."

"Stop making me feel bad for them Mel."

~~~

**Time:** 03:55

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Unknown 

"We're back!!" Rachel kicked pushed the door open, she smiled while carrying an old and weathered book in her hands.

"We found a clue," Cass smiled.

"Finally."

"Let's see it."

Rachel placed the book down on the desk. It had a golden bookmark that was fraying at the ends, it is where this bookmark resides that she opens the book to. The excitement of finding a new clue soon turned into dread with every word that passed by

> One chance. Correctly answer this and you're free to go early.
> 
> Get it wrong and your time doubles. Do nothing and the offer
> 
> expiers in 24 hours.

The rest of the book was filled with blank pages.

"This is just great." Tim starts pacing around trying to think of any information they have so far, no way in hell he was staying here. He had people to get back home to.

"Search the book, see if there's something hidden in there. Rachel, help me look through the upper rooms. Damian, keep searching in the main room."

Tim took the steps two at a time, his eyes had a sharp glint to them. He pushed the door open to the first room and he was greeted by a bedroom. It carried the same woodsy feel of the rest of the house, it looked straight out of a magazine. 

"This looks pretty nice. I bet someone has died here."

Tim huffed out a small laugh. The room looked pretty but stale. Just like the rooms in his childhood home. 

"Well, Cass did say this was an illusion. It's probably designed to look alluring. Plus we don't know if anyone has even been here before, let alone a dead body."

"Sure. This place just has that 'I'm hiding something and it's probably a dead body!' vibe, y'know?"

"I definitely know," Tim replied sarcastically. 

They searched underneath the bed, in the closet, in between the crevices of furniture and wall, and even in the nightstand. 

"There's nothing here, we should look at the next room." Rachel made her way out of the room, but Tim took one last glance. He noticed how the window had stained glass with intricate patterns. At first, glance it looked just like weird scratch marks, but now that his eyes were drawn to it the marks seemed to be deliberately placed, albeit a tad bit crudely.

Rachel re-entered the room and noticed the trail of Tim's line of sight.   
"Should we take a picture for reference?"

"Yea," Tim held up his camera and captured the strange marks.

When the click of the camera rang in the air a sudden shift could be heard.

"What the hell was that?!" 

~~~

 **Time:** 23:00

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Burnley 

"Damnit!! We lost her again!" Batman growled out.

One minute he had the lady pinned down, he was face to face with her, having Babs save the mask footage displaying her ebony hair and glowing grey eyes, the markings that ran down her face were none that he had ever seen before. At least they had had a step in the right direction to find his family.

"I'll run the markings and her face through the watchtower database and see if they match any organization or past villain."

"Alright." His voice was clipped and curt. 

At this rate, they'll be much more useful sitting around and waiting for the end of the world. He needed something, anything that could lead him to another source of information regarding the lady. He took a deep breath to calm and center himself. Tim, Damian, and Cass needed him to find clues, not start going off on a mental tirade about how shitty the situation was. He needed to trace the steps of this woman. 

"Babs give me a map of every location we've spotted her in."

The map popped up on his gauntlet, the nearest place was a small warehouse on the east side of the bowery. 

With that, he swung through the sky with a newfound purpose and vigor. 

~~~

 **Time:** 23:45

 **Date:** July 24, 20XX

 **Location:** Bowery 

Batman tapped the side of his cowl and activated his night vision. The surroundings were painted in a green tinge thanks to it. The building had clearly seen better days. The warehouse was filled with rubble and various remnants of squatters and animals who needed temporary shelter. He started his meticulous search of the place.

Pushing the rubble aside he was met with even more garbage. He continued shifting through it. From the left side to the right everything was upturned, searching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing. Nothing Nothing. The greenish abyss of endless dead ends took its toll on him. Normally he had someone looking out for him, but now he was on his own with only Babs, who was confined to the same scope of vision as him. 

"How's it going with the markings? Anything pop up yet?"

"So far, nothing. I'm about to run it by the Green Lantern and he'll look through the Corps database."

"Alright, so have anything else I could use?"

"Other than an actual good night's rest?" Dick deadpanned, he swears he could hear each reaction Babs's face is making.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave it to you. Just promise me you'll get back by 3. You're not helping anyone by being dead on your feet from lack of sleep."

"Of course, don't want to take Red's spot as the resident sleep zombie." Babs huffed out a small laugh before disconnecting the coms. 

Dick turned to give the spot one last look over when he noticed something. He turned to face a stack of cardboard boxes that he had previously knocked over. Poking out from behind them was a symbol on the wall. He pushed the boxes further way and revealed:

A fish and three bats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me realizing my word count just made it to 1,000: *Sad noises*  
> Me not having to motivation to actually edit: *Tired noises*  
> (I ran it through Grammarly and then peaced out afterward. I just wanna go play in the snow, but at the same time I need to write even if it's only a lil bit.)

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo-- in the original plotline Rachel was the main protagonist and I kinda wasn't sure how to move the story along without her soooo I brought her back into this version to help give me a boost. Ngl I feel like I used her too much as an exposition dump. But like I wasn't entirely sure how else to go about certain things. Maybe I'll re-write it at some point? Idk I don't like using original characters unless they are like villains. So it's kinda a new thing for me to use an original character that is supposed to be a protagonist.  
> (Sorry to all Steph, Jason, and Harper Fans I wasn't sure how to fit them in the story so, for now, they aren't in. Maybe they'll show up if I can find a way to properly fit them into the story.)  
> (Also to all Duke fans- I don't know enough to write him, sorry.)  
> 
> 
> Constructive criticism gives me life. So, please give me some. 
> 
> Songs that oddly helped to inspire this:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44FzXwZ0zE2sA25GCiN95h


End file.
